


beginnings (and other tidbits)

by garands



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, a lot of beginnings, maybe some middles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 04:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20790767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garands/pseuds/garands
Summary: i decided to hell with it and i'm going to add every single beginning and middle and idea i've had about zutara because they've been sitting on my laptop doing nothing and tbh some of these are cute.





	1. fingers in sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired by Young Blood by the Districts

“Is this going to last?” She asked. “Past this? Past the war?”

Her voice was weary, heavy with the thoughts of what would come next. Zuko would be crowned, and then what? Would the waterbender from the South Pole really be the next Fire Lady? Would the Fire Nation tolerate the possibility of a non-firebender as their next monarch?

The question hung in the air. Zuko sighed, he knew the implications of her questions. They weighed heavily on him too, but she didn't want to hear that. 

“It’s here now,” he said. “And I think that’s what’s important.”

“You always do this." She stared at him, defeat dripped off her voice. "You never answer the question. Why would we stay together if the rules don’t allow us to be? This is not going to work out in our favor.”


	2. insomnia (come home tonight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired partly by Heart Eyes by Coin. idk if y'all have noticed by now but music is a big part of my creative process lmfao

There was a diner two blocks from her apartment where Katara used to go when she was younger. The diner was rundown back then; it was a mess of worn leather booths and tired old ladies waiting on young high schoolers. She distinctly remembered going there once with her brother and one of his friends - one of the dark and broody ones, which made him stand out - and having a really good milkshake. It was one of the last good memories she had leading up to her mother's death.

The weeks following the funeral Katara couldn’t shake the nightmares. She'd adopted a pattern of sorts: she'd spend the sleepless nights wandering around the neighborhood and exploring anything that was open. Tonight she'd ended up at a laundromat. It was empty despite the few machines that were running. She was perched on the edge of the folding table when she saw it across the street. The Honeymoon Diner. _How could she have forgotten?_ It stared at her with its neon blue sign, calling to her, urging her to visit. 

She could spy from her little nook. There were two bored looking employees standing behind the counter. 


	3. don't think i don't know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> found in an old phone note.

_ i. _

The first time she’d told him she loved him he was unconscious. The lightning bolt he’d taken for her had rendered him speechless, and the words coming from her - they were supplications to whatever gods she could command. Whatever gods would listen to her please for this stupid,  _ stupid,  _ but brave boy.

She needed him alive. He had to make it, there was no alternative. She loved him. They had been inevitable, and that was a truth she was coming to terms with while healing him as much as she could, as fast as she could. 

There was no other choice; they were bound by body and soul long before this moment, and she would be damned if he wasn’t alive to reach the same conclusion. 

She mumbled prayers fervently under her breath, letting sobs wreak havoc on her body, working mercilessly to save him. To help him. The tears and sweat trickled down her back, her healing water glowing a bright, entrancing blue until finally,  _ finally  _ he roused. Wide eyed and pale he stared at her.

The relief took her breath away, leaving her gasping on the ground beside him. 

“Thank you, Katara.” It was a croak, a sentence spoken from the depths of a dead person’s throat. Except he wasn’t dead, he was  _ alive.  _ And she was so  _ glad. _

“Don’t even mention it,” she wiped the tears away and continue to mend the sinewy tissue of his chest, piecing him together once more. 

_ ii. _

The second time she’d told him she loved him was in the linen closet of his family’s Ember Island vacation home. 


	4. crumb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's the little things.

If there was one truth about himself that Zuko could accept, it was that he was not good at making friends. His prickly demeanor made it so that people stayed away; Zuko found that he liked it this way. 

And then Katara happened. She wriggled her way into his life, chattering constantly about this and that. She did so enough to find out the little things about him. Like what his favorite vending machine snack was (honey buns), or how he liked his eggs cooked (scrambled, a little  _ too  _ dry). 

She was a steady presence in his life, and a bright one at that. And Zuko found - well, he found that maybe it was better to not be alone after all.


	5. whip it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a roller rink au b/c i'm in a roller derby mood

The first thing Zuko felt was pain. He’d fallen - that was for sure, but it seemed that he’d also managed to scrape himself in the process. He was laying on the worn carpet of the benches by the concession stand. The fluorescent pictures on the ceiling and walls were tripping him up, so he wasn’t able to distinguish if the girl was a dream or reality.

She glided effortlessly around him and bent down to her knees in one smooth motion.

“Are you okay?” The black and white of her uniform glowed under the black light, making her seem that much more fake.

His throat was dry. “I’m alright.”

“You went down pretty hard,” she examined his elbow, turning it gingerly. “This is a serious cut, it needs at least some ointment and a bandaid. Think you’ll manage?”

**Author's Note:**

> i want to be able to say that i'm going to check in more frequently or that i'll actually follow through with writing this time... but that's a little too committed for me at the moment. the good news is that i'm hoping to write some more now that i've gotten my life kind of sorted. i may be able to pull some prompts off for october as a way to say thank you for whoever is out there reading my writing and commenting and liking - i read all of it and i appreciate the support a ton <33 :-)


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